1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image-forming system including an image-forming apparatus that communicates with other apparatuses for data exchange.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are conventionally known image-forming apparatuses such as a digital copying apparatus having an electronic sorting function. Such a digital copying apparatus reads the image of all original documents to be copied, stores the image data in a memory such as a hard disk, and then retrieves the image data of any desired original document from the memory to print the image out. Without the need for a sorting device having a plurality of bins, the copying apparatus discharges copied sheets in a sorted state.
In a known electronic sorting function for PDL (Page Description Language) images, the digital copying apparatus receives application PDL data from a host computer through a network, develops the PDL data into a bit-map image, stores the bit-map image in a memory such as a hard disk, repeatedly reads an image from the memory to print the image, and sorts the copied sheets.
In one proposed system, the hard disk of a digital copying apparatus may be divided into users' personal areas, and the bit-map image developed from PDL data is once stored in a user's own area (personal box). To print an image from the personal box, a user enters a password to access his or her area from a control panel of the copying apparatus. Such a system is useful when the user wants to print data which requires secrecy.
A user operates a control panel on a digital copying apparatus to print out an image after transmitting image data to a personal box in the digital copying apparatus from a host computer in such a system. If someone else then uses the copying apparatus for copying, the user is forced to wait for the end of the copying operation. If the copying apparatus fails to properly work for lack of toner or paper sheets or any other troubles, printing cannot be performed until the copying apparatus is restored for normal operation. It is preferred that desired print data be output at any time convenient to the user and with an output form the user desires, regardless of the status of the copying apparatus.